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Caledon Hockley
Caledon Nathan Hockley, often shortened to Cal, (1882–1929) was Rose's fiancé and the main antagonist of Titanic. He was supposed to have married 17 year old socialite Rose DeWitt Bukater in an arranged ceremony when they arrived in Philadelphia, yet her hatred for him due to his sociopathic, misogynistic ways and and her unexpected romance with Jack Dawson kept them from forming an intimate bond. When boarding the Titanic, Cal was able to pay for the whole trip as first class passengers due to his high wealth and social position. He was however, physically, emotionally, and psychologically abusive towards Rose. This is due to the fact that women were considered a man's material and sexual property rather than actual independent human beings during this time; they had no choice or freedom to choose whom they wished to marry, and men had complete dominance over them financially, spiritually and physically, as evidenced by the way he treats the women around him throughout the entire film. He was also extremely arrogant and snobbish, and an attempted murderer when it became publicly obvious that Rose was in love with Jack and not him. He was 30 years old at the time of the sinking of the Titanic, surviving only by a means of cheating his way onto a lifeboat with a deserted child. Cal died after committing suicide by shooting himself through the mouth because of his financial disaster during the Wall Street Crash of 1929. He is portrayed by actor Billy Zane. Character History Early Life Caledon Nathan Hockley was born in 1882. He was from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is unknown who his mother was, but his father was Nathan Hockley, a successful American Pittsburgh steel tycoon who was very respected and powerful. He was tall, standing at 6'½" (1.84 m). He was known to have travelled to England where he met Rose and her mother Ruth DeWitt Bukater. Ruth arranged a marriage between Rose and Cal despite Rose's dislike towards him and they were to marry in Philadelphia after their voyage on Titanic. Not much else is known about his early life. Boarding of the Titanic In 1912, Cal boarded the Titanic with Rose DeWitt Bukater, his fiancée, and her mother, Ruth. Cal, Rose, and Ruth were going to Philadelphia, PA, so Cal and Rose could be married. He had purchased tickets for the Private Promenade/Parlor Suite on B-Deck where he made fun of Rose's taste in art, criticizing artist Monet's and Picasso's artwork. Despite his negative comments, Rose ignored him and continued talking to her maid/friend Trudy. Rose and Trudy left the Sitting Room to find a place for the Degas of Dancer painting. She placed it on a vanity in her bedroom as Trudy began unpacking. She comments on the ship smelling brand new and tells Rose she will be the first person on the ship to sleep beneath the fresh, crisp lien sheets. However, Cal interrupts them and begins to flirt with Rose (much to her disgust). Rose was oblivious to this, and at one point, Rose tried to commit suicide in order to avoid the arranged marriage. However, she was stopped by a 20 year old third class boy whom she saw earlier on the ship, Jack Dawson, who convinced her not to kill her self. Upon arriving at the scene, Cal thought that Jack tried to rape Rose, but she was able to make him believe that she had slipped and was saved by Jack (as she didn't want Cal to know that she had tried to kill herself). Cal prepared to take her back to his room, but another high-class man said that he should give something in return for Jack's good deeds. He was going to give him a $20 bill, but Rose was disgusted by this. To impress Rose, he invited Jack to dinner instead, which Jack agreed to. ''Titanic'' Disaster Throughout the movie, as Jack and Rose fall in love, Cal remained oblivious, however his Manservant, Spicer Lovejoy, began to suspect something going on between the two. Jack, Rose, Ruth along with Thomas Andrews and Cal went to dinner the following night. However, over the next day or so he began to realize that Rose had in fact fallen in love with Jack rather than himself (despite their difference in social classes). On the night of April 14th, Cal found a drawing of a nude Rose who left him a tormenting note along with the drawing. Cal arrested Jack for supposedly stealing the Heart of the Ocean (the expensive necklace Cal had given Rose as a gift) and had him chained to a pole deep within the sip in the Masters-At-Arms office on E-Deck to keep him away from Rose. Once Jack was carried away, Cal slapped Rose, but before he could continue, he was ordered to go to a lifeboat (as the iceberg had hit by this stage). When the lifeboat's were preparing to leave, Ruth said that she didn't want the lifeboat's to be too crowded to which Cal laughed. Cal also said that he should have kept Rose's drawing as it would be worth a lot more the next day. At that point Rose's hatred for Cal grew. When Ruth told Rose to get into the boat, she said "Goodbye, mother" and left. Cal stopped her and said "Where are you going? To him? What? To be a whore to a gutter rat?". Rose said "I'd rather be his whore than your wife". As she turned to leave, Cal tried to stop her and she broke free, spitting in his face just as Jack taught her. Rose ran through the crowd while Cal stood there appalled. Rose the rescued Jack and both began looking for a way out. When the Titanic began to sink, Cal was determined to help Rose escape. Jack tried to convince Rose get onto Collapsible D, but she was determined not to go. Despite Cal's hatred for Jack, Cal gave Rose his jacket as a way to comfort her and hopefully win her back. Cal caressed her face but Jack go between him and pulled Rose aside both of them forgetting about the necklace in its pocket. Cal convinced Rose to go by saying that he had made an arrangement, which he and Jack could board a boat. Rose goes onto the lifeboat. While being lowered down, Cal tells Jack the arrangement is only for him and that he always wins. Rose soon realized that she couldn't go on without Jack, she jumps back onto the sinking Titanic in order to stay with him. Cal became enraged by this, he takes Lovejoy's gun and chased the two down the Grand Staircase down to the now flooding Reception Room on D-Deck in an effort to shoot them. The gun quickly ran out of bullets, and he gave up his pursuit after the ship creaks and groans around him. He tried to get on Collapsible Boat A after making a deal with First-Officer William Murdoch William Murdoch, however Murdoch won't let him on because of the rule "Women and Children first/Only". When he reminded him of the deal, Murdoch replied, "Your money can't save you any more than it could save me." He then threw the money back at Cal. A panicked mob of passengers crowded around the lifeboat but Murdoch held the crowd at gunpoint. Murdoch unintentionally ended up shooting Thomas Ryan after a passenger accidentally shoved him forward thus looking like an attempt to board and an unknown male passenger who tried to board by jumping over Murdoch much to Cal's shock. Murdoch then killed himself with the gun. Cal then stole a child and was allowed to board a lifeboat after passing the child off as his own. As the ship continues to sink, the boat he was on became trapped, due to no one releasing the lifeboat of its falls, but was freed when Jack's friend, Fabrizio, cut it loose. A few minutes later Cal witnessed Fabrizio get crushed by one of the massive funnels, after its ropes holding it up snapped due to the strain. After the event of trying to survive the sinking and getting on the lifeboat, while waiting for the RMS Carpathia to arrive he accepts a sip of whiskey from another passenger. Afterwards, he desperately searched for Rose while on the RMS Carpathia but could not find her and believed she had died in the shipwreck, although she had actually escaped and was avoiding him, by hiding in a blanket. However, Jack had died of hypothermia at this point. Rose watched Cal as he searched for her and saw him walk away. It was the last time she ever saw him. Later life and death Later in life, Cal married someone else and inherited his family's millions. However, in the Stock Market Crash of 1929, Cal fell into financial ruin and committed suicide by shooting himself in the mouth. His children later fought over the scraps of his estate like hyenas as claimed by Rose. Search for the diamond In 1993, treasure hunter, Brock Lovett began a hunt for the heart of the ocean but was unsuccessful for 3 years. In 1996, Hockley's room was discovered and his safe recovered but the diamond was not there. However, Brock found the drawing of Rose that Hockley put in the safe. Rose, at age 100, saw it on TV and went to the ship to discuss the events of the sinking. After telling her story, Brock was still unsuccessful with finding the diamond and due to low funds it was time to pull out. Brock then said that he didn't care anymore because Rose's story had put him off. However, it was revealed that Rose actually had the diamond the whole time. It was put in the coat Hockley gave Rose by accident on the Titanic, and she kept it throughout her life which she then threw into the ocean. In an alternate ending of the movie, Brock would've seen Rose and along with Lizzy (her grand daughter), they would come down to her but Rose would have threatened to drop the diamond if they came any closer. Rose revealed that she didn't sell it despite being so poor because she thought of Hockley and wanted to make it through life without his help so she kept it as a reminder of this mission. Brock would have been allowed to hold it for a few seconds before Rose threw it into the ocean. Trivia *In a deleted scene, while using the rowing machine in the gymnastic room, Cal explains he went to Harvard University. *Caledon and Hockley are two small towns near Orangeville, Ontario, Canada, where James Cameron's aunt and uncle live. *In an early script of the film, Cal was the one to kill Fabrizio when he tried to get in the lifeboat Cal was in. Cal proceeded to beat Fabrizio to death with the oar. Category:Characters Category:1912 Characters Category:Fictional Characters Category:Male Characters Category:Main Characters Category:First-Class Passengers Category:Titanic survivors